Saturday's Healthy Kids Day about more than sports

Children and their parents take part in the Hendersonville Family YMCA Healthy Kids Day at Jackson Park last year. The annual event takes place 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Jackson Park.

PATRICK SULLIVAN/Times-News, File

By CAITLIN BYRDTimes-News Staff Writer

Published: Friday, April 11, 2014 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, April 11, 2014 at 12:12 a.m.

Organizers of this weekend's Healthy Kids Day say the free community event will show that a child needs more than active minutes and colorful fruits and veggies to embody what it means to be a truly healthy youngster.

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“It's not just an athletic event, but it's an active event for the mind, body and spirit,” said Chelsea Larsen, youth development director at the Hendersonville Family YMCA. “This year we're going to allow kids to really challenge their minds, athletic ability and their spirit by doing a lot of different things.”

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Jackson Park, kids and their families will be able to participate in activities ranging from Zumba classes and soccer drills to live music and face-painting.

The event, sponsored by Pardee Hospital, will feature more vendors than it has in years past, Larsen said. Consequently, there will be more activities and a greater variety of activities happening on the field at Jackson Park.

One of this year's vendors, the Hendersonville Co-Op, will teach children and their families about recycling and plants.

By recycling a toilet paper roll, Larsen said, kids will be able to plant a seed inside of it and then get to keep the plant when they leave. Though the activity isn't as kinesthetic as tennis lessons, which will also be offered Saturday, there is a health value to it.

“It's opening their mind to another world. That could really just trigger someone's mind into saying 'Wow, I want to be an environmental scientist,'” Larsen said. “It's a great activity for parents, too. A kid can say this is super cool and then, together, they could start their own little garden. Parents will realize there are different ways that they can connect with their kids.”

In addition to the planting activity with the Hendersonville Co-Op, kids will be able to participate in a half-mile fun run sponsored by FootRx of Asheville, jump around in a bounce house, challenge themselves in an obstacle course and test their patience in life-sized Jenga.

The reason for the variety of the event is simple, Larsen said: Every kid is different.

“For those kids that like to work with plants, we're going to have the planting event. For those kids who like sports, we'll have football and soccer drills. For those kids that like to just play, we'll have cornhole and inflatables,” she said. “It's very important to keep kids moving because that focus can take away from other disctractions they may have in their lives and keep them doing something that's going to keep them active and something that will be great for their spirit, too.”

The annual Healthy Kids Day is part of the Y's national initiave to improve families' health and well-being, and takes place at 1,900 Ys around the country.

<p>Organizers of this weekend's Healthy Kids Day say the free community event will show that a child needs more than active minutes and colorful fruits and veggies to embody what it means to be a truly healthy youngster. </p><p>“It's not just an athletic event, but it's an active event for the mind, body and spirit,” said Chelsea Larsen, youth development director at the Hendersonville Family YMCA. “This year we're going to allow kids to really challenge their minds, athletic ability and their spirit by doing a lot of different things.”</p><p>From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Jackson Park, kids and their families will be able to participate in activities ranging from Zumba classes and soccer drills to live music and face-painting.</p><p>The event, sponsored by Pardee Hospital, will feature more vendors than it has in years past, Larsen said. Consequently, there will be more activities and a greater variety of activities happening on the field at Jackson Park.</p><p>One of this year's vendors, the Hendersonville Co-Op, will teach children and their families about recycling and plants.</p><p>By recycling a toilet paper roll, Larsen said, kids will be able to plant a seed inside of it and then get to keep the plant when they leave. Though the activity isn't as kinesthetic as tennis lessons, which will also be offered Saturday, there is a health value to it.</p><p>“It's opening their mind to another world. That could really just trigger someone's mind into saying 'Wow, I want to be an environmental scientist,'” Larsen said. “It's a great activity for parents, too. A kid can say this is super cool and then, together, they could start their own little garden. Parents will realize there are different ways that they can connect with their kids.”</p><p>In addition to the planting activity with the Hendersonville Co-Op, kids will be able to participate in a half-mile fun run sponsored by FootRx of Asheville, jump around in a bounce house, challenge themselves in an obstacle course and test their patience in life-sized Jenga.</p><p>The reason for the variety of the event is simple, Larsen said: Every kid is different.</p><p>“For those kids that like to work with plants, we're going to have the planting event. For those kids who like sports, we'll have football and soccer drills. For those kids that like to just play, we'll have cornhole and inflatables,” she said. “It's very important to keep kids moving because that focus can take away from other disctractions they may have in their lives and keep them doing something that's going to keep them active and something that will be great for their spirit, too.”</p><p>The annual Healthy Kids Day is part of the Y's national initiave to improve families' health and well-being, and takes place at 1,900 Ys around the country.</p><p>___</p><p>Reach Byrd at caitlin.byrd@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7881.</p>